For we do not wish you to be ignorant, brethren, of our tribulation that happened to us in Asia, that we were exceedingly burdened above our power, so that we despaired even of life;

but we ourselves in ourselves the sentence of the death have had, that we may not be trusting on ourselves, but on God, who is raising the dead,

For our glorying is this: the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and sincerity of God, not in fleshly wisdom, but in the grace of God, we did conduct ourselves in the world, and more abundantly toward you;

and God is faithful, that our word unto you became not Yes and No,

for the Son of God, Jesus Christ, among you through us having been preached -- through me and Silvanus and Timotheus -- did not become Yes and No, but in him it hath become Yes;

And I for a witness on God do call upon my soul, that sparing you, I came not yet to Corinth;

not that we are lords over your faith, but we are workers together with your joy, for by the faith ye stand.

And I decided this to myself, not again to come in sorrow unto you,

and I wrote to you this same thing, that having come, I may not have sorrow from them of whom it behoved me to have joy, having confidence in you all, that my joy is of you all,

for out of much tribulation and pressure of heart I wrote to you through many tears, not that ye might be made sorry, but that ye might know the love that I have more abundantly toward you.

And if any one hath caused sorrow, he hath not caused sorrow to me, but in part, that I may not burden you all;

that we may not be over-reached by the Adversary, for of his devices we are not ignorant.

I have not had rest to my spirit, on my not finding Titus my brother, but having taken leave of them, I went forth to Macedonia;

for we are not as the many, adulterating the word of God, but as of sincerity -- but as of God; in the presence of God, in Christ we do speak.

Do we begin again to recommend ourselves, except we need, as some, letters of recommendation unto you, or from you?

manifested that ye are a letter of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God, not in the tablets of stone, but in fleshy tablets of the heart,

not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything, as of ourselves, but our sufficiency is of God,

who also made us sufficient to be ministrants of a new covenant, not of letter, but of spirit; for the letter doth kill, and the spirit doth make alive.

and if the ministration of the death, in letters, engraved in stones, came in glory, so that the sons of Israel were not able to look stedfastly to the face of Moses, because of the glory of his face -- which was being made useless,

how shall the ministration of the Spirit not be more in glory?

for also even that which hath been glorious, hath not been glorious -- in this respect, because of the superior glory;

and are not as Moses, who was putting a vail upon his own face, for the sons of Israel not stedfastly to look to the end of that which is being made useless,

Because of this, having this ministration, according as we did receive kindness, we do not faint,

but did renounce for ourselves the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness, nor deceitfully using the word of God, but by the manifestation of the truth recommending ourselves unto every conscience of men, before God;

in whom the god of this age did blind the minds of the unbelieving, that there doth not shine forth to them the enlightening of the good news of the glory of the Christ, who is the image of God;

for not ourselves do we preach, but Christ Jesus -- Lord, and ourselves your servants because of Jesus;

And we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us;

on every side being in tribulation, but not straitened; perplexed, but not in despair;

persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;

wherefore, we faint not, but if also our outward man doth decay, yet the inward is renewed day by day;

we not looking to the things seen, but to the things not seen; for the things seen are temporary, but the things not seen are age-during.

For we have known that if our earthly house of the tabernacle may be thrown down, a building from God we have, an house not made with hands -- age-during -- in the heavens,

if so be that, having clothed ourselves, we shall not be found naked,

for we also who are in the tabernacle do groan, being burdened, seeing we wish not to unclothe ourselves, but to clothe ourselves, that the mortal may be swallowed up of the life.

for through faith we walk, not through sight --

for not again ourselves do we recommend to you, but we are giving occasion to you of glorifying in our behalf, that ye may have something in reference to those glorifying in face and not in heart;

how that God was in Christ -- a world reconciling to Himself, not reckoning to them their trespasses; and having put in us the word of the reconciliation,

for him who did not know sin, in our behalf He did make sin, that we may become the righteousness of God in him.

And working together also we call upon you that ye receive not in vain the grace of God --

in nothing giving any cause of offence, that the ministration may be not blamed,

as unknown, and recognized; as dying, and lo, we live; as chastened, and not put to death;

ye are not straitened in us, and ye are straitened in your own bowels,

Become not yoked with others -- unbelievers, for what partaking is there to righteousness and lawlessness?

wherefore, come ye forth out of the midst of them, and be separated, saith the Lord, and an unclean thing do not touch, and I -- I will receive you,

not to condemn you do I say it, for I have said before that in our hearts ye are to die with and to live with;

and not only in his presence, but also in the comfort with which he was comforted over you, declaring to us your longing desire, your lamentation, your zeal for me, so that the more I did rejoice,

because even if I made you sorry in the letter, I do not repent -- if even I did repent -- for I perceive that the letter, even if for an hour, did make you sorry.

I now do rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye were made sorry to reformation, for ye were made sorry toward God, that in nothing ye might receive damage from us;

for the sorrow toward God reformation to salvation not to be repented of doth work, and the sorrow of the world doth work death,

If, then, I also wrote to you -- not for his cause who did wrong, nor for his cause who did suffer wrong, but for our diligence in your behalf being manifested unto you before God --

because if anything to him in your behalf I have boasted, I was not put to shame; but as all things in truth we did speak to you, so also our boasting before Titus became truth,

and not according as we expected, but themselves they did give first to the Lord, and to us, through the will of God,

not according to command do I speak, but because of the diligence of others, and of your love proving the genuineness,

and an opinion in this do I give: for this to you is expedient, who not only to do, but also to will, did begin before -- a year ago,

for if the willing mind is present, according to that which any one may have it is well-accepted, not according to that which he hath not;

for not that for others release, and ye pressured, do I speak,

and not only so, but who was also appointed by vote by the assemblies, our fellow-traveller, with this favour that is ministered by us, unto the glory of the same Lord, and your willing mind;

providing right things, not only before the Lord, but also before men;

and I sent the brethren, that our boasting on your behalf may not be made vain in this respect; that, according as I said, ye may be ready,

lest if Macedonians may come with me, and find you unprepared, we -- we may be put to shame (that we say not -- ye) in this same confidence of boasting.

Necessary, therefore, I thought it to exhort the brethren, that they may go before to you, and may make up before your formerly announced blessing, that this be ready, as a blessing, and not as covetousness.

each one, according as he doth purpose in heart, not out of sorrow or out of necessity, for a cheerful giver doth God love,

because the ministration of this service not only is supplying the wants of the saints, but is also abounding through many thanksgivings to God,

and I beseech you, that, being present, I may not have courage, with the confidence with which I reckon to be bold against certain reckoning us as walking according to the flesh;

for walking in the flesh, not according to the flesh do we war,

for the weapons of our warfare are not fleshly, but powerful to God for bringing down of strongholds,

for even if also anything more abundantly I shall boast concerning our authority, that the Lord gave us for building up, and not for casting you down, I shall not be ashamed;

that I may not seem as if I would terrify you through the letters,

For we do not make bold to rank or to compare ourselves with certain of those commending themselves, but they, among themselves measuring themselves, and comparing themselves with themselves, are not wise,

and we in regard to the unmeasured things will not boast ourselves, but after the measure of the line that the God of measure did appoint to us -- to reach even unto you;

for not as not reaching to you do we stretch ourselves overmuch, for even unto you did we come in the good news of the Christ,

not boasting of the things not measured, in other men's labours, and having hope -- your faith increasing -- in you to be enlarged, according to our line -- into abundance,

in the places beyond you to proclaim good news, not in another's line in regard to the things made ready, to boast;

for not he who is commending himself is approved, but he whom the Lord doth commend.

for if, indeed, he who is coming doth preach another Jesus whom we did not preach, or another Spirit ye receive which ye did not receive, or other good news which ye did not accept -- well were ye bearing it,

and even if unlearned in word -- yet not in knowledge, but in every thing we were made manifest in all things to you.

The truth of Christ is in me, because this boasting shall not be stopped in regard to me in the regions of Achaia;

wherefore? because I do not love you? God hath known!

That which I speak, I speak not according to the Lord, but as in foolishness, in this the confidence of boasting;

thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice was I shipwrecked, a night and a day in the deep I have passed;

Who is infirm, and I am not infirm? who is stumbled, and I am not fired;

the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ -- who is blessed to the ages -- hath known that I do not lie! --

To boast, really, is not profitable for me, for I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord.

I have known a man in Christ, fourteen years ago -- whether in the body I have not known, whether out of the body I have not known, God hath known -- such an one being caught away unto the third heaven;

and I have known such a man -- whether in the body, whether out of the body, I have not known, God hath known, --

that he was caught away to the paradise, and heard unutterable sayings, that it is not possible for man to speak.

Of such an one I will boast, and of myself I will not boast, except in my infirmities,

for if I may wish to boast, I shall not be a fool, for truth I will say; but I forebear, lest any one in regard to me may think anything above what he doth see me, or doth hear anything of me;

and that by the exceeding greatness of the revelations I might not be exalted overmuch, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of the Adversary, that he might buffet me, that I might not be exalted overmuch.

for what is there in which ye were inferior to the rest of the assemblies, except that I myself was not a burden to you? forgive me this injustice!

Lo, a third time I am ready to come unto you, and I will not be a burden to you, for I seek not yours, but you, for the children ought not for the parents to lay up, but the parents for the children,

And be it so, I -- I did not burden you, but being crafty, with guile I did take you;

I entreated Titus, and did send with him the brother; did Titus take advantage of you? in the same spirit did we not walk? -- did we not in the same steps?

for I fear lest, having come, not such as I wish I may find you, and I -- I may be found by you such as ye do not wish, lest there be strifes, envyings, wraths, revelries, evil-speakings, whisperings, puffings up, insurrections,

lest again having come, my God may humble me in regard to you, and I may bewail many of those having sinned before, and not having reformed concerning the uncleanness, and whoredom, and lasciviousness, that they did practise.

I have said before, and I say it before, as being present, the second time, and being absent, now, do I write to those having sinned before, and to all the rest, that if I come again, I will not spare,

since a proof ye seek of the Christ speaking in me, who to you is not infirm, but is powerful in you,

Your own selves try ye, if ye are in the faith; your own selves prove ye; do ye not know your own selves, that Jesus Christ is in you, if ye be not in some respect disapproved of?

and I hope that ye shall know that we -- we are not disapproved of;

and I pray before God that ye do no evil, not that we may appear approved, but that ye may do that which is right, and we may be as disapproved;